We're in a pretty bad situation at the moment.  I don't think she's been able to tell you all about what's been going on the past month, but D_____ threw her out on Nov. 28th.

The whole thing started because I had spend the night there when he wasn't there (on the 27th). Originally, I hadn't even necessarily intended to spend the night, because D_____ was expected home at around midnight.  But after midnight passed, another hour went by, then another, and so on.  Since we had spent the entire night playing video games, we just lost track of the time, and it was around 5 AM when I decided to doze off.

Now, before he left, he said something kind of vague to the extent of "whenever you're done over here, you should just sort of gravitate toward J_____'s."  Not being real clear on that, but assuming that it meant that we could go over to J_____'s if we wanted to, not that we had to, we just said OK and he left for the night.

Here's where it gets sort of weird:  He came back home around 7 AM or so and found me sleeping on the couch and A_____ sleeping on the chaise.  She and I both knew enough to respect his rules and not sleep next to each other like he had asked every other time I slept over when he was there.  So anyway, he found us sleeping, but he didn't wake us up in a rage or anything.  According to A_____, he just woke her up and then went right back out again.

So eventually, A_____ and I both woke up again and continued playing our video games until about 4:30 PM.  At some point during the day, A_____ got a phone call from either B____ or A**** asking about E____'s whereabouts (D_____ was supposed to drive him back to their place that afternoon).  They asked her typical stuff, how she was, if D_____/E____ were there, etc.  When they asked if she was home alone, though, she said no because I was there.  She mentioned I'd spent the night that night as well as several nights before.

Since A**** and B____ didn't know me that well, they were a little irked by that, so B____ decided to call D_____ up and ask him about it.  From what I understand, D_____ defended me because he knew I'm a good guy, but he was still pissed at A_____ for volunteering that information.  The thing is, A_____ didn't think anything of it.  She didn't think the information was anything bad at all, but D_____ told her that they could bring him into court for it.  (Incidentally, later when asked if she would bring him to court over it, A**** said it didn't even enter her head and that she probably wouldn't.)

Then, the argument just escalated to a screaming match, which escalated to him telling her to get out.  He started throwing her clothes out in the hallway while continuing to scream at the top of his lungs, despite my desperate attempts to cool things down.  The screaming got so bad that his voice just lost all sound and became hoarse.  His face turned beet red and the veins started bulging.  He was slapping the coffee table and throwing papers all around, saying stuff like, "$22,000 for what?!  I paid $22,000 for custody of you and this is the thanks I get?!  That's it, I'm done!  You're not gonna take your time getting out this time, little girl!"

At which point, he started throwing more clothes and some plastic drawers against the wall and down the stairs, all while Ash was saying stuff to the effect of, "It's just gonna take me longer to get out of here if you keep doing that, you fucking maniac."  Then, the shit really hit the fan.  As she went to leave, she said something along the lines of, "I hope you fucking die," and then he rushed up to her, slammed her against the wall while screaming at her, calling her a bitch and whatnot.

Then, A_____ was just in hysterics… She ran down the stairs without her shoes or purse out onto the rain-soaked pavement when she just curled into a ball at the bottom of the stairs, crying her eyes out.  I followed her, not knowing that she left without her shoes or her purse, but went back to get them when I saw.

When I went back, I heard D_____ talking to B____ about having to come get her, cause he was done dealing with her, even though he knew full well that he couldn't because of their living situation.  So, A_____ came to live with me, and my parents welcomed her with loving arms.  They knew her from the many times she'd come over and given them hugs and had conversations with them.  But yeah, even though the first night was pretty traumatic, my parents and I were able to bring A_____ back to stability.

Anyway, since she got kicked out, she's been getting to school on time every single day, she's been getting her homework done every night (with occasional confirmation from my parents), she's been taking her bi-polar medication with a lot less fuss due to my suggestion of using ice cream instead of water.  She's been much happier about life in general because she feels safe here.  She feels accepted and cared for here, and she's said that our family is all she could ever want in a family and that she was so glad that she was there to be a part of it (even if there was still DYFS and D_____ still looming over our heads).

But just this past week, on Tuesday, A_____ and I went back to D_____' place to get some socks and some more clothes.  While I was in there getting the stuff (because she absolutely refused to see him, which I don't blame her at all for), he mentioned wanting her house keys back, and that he had an appointment with DYFS the next day to determine where she'd be living from then on.  My personal feeling is that he was/is determined to see her miserable unless he's the only one making her happy.  So, he met with DYFS, and they came to her school the same day and were really mean to her, calling her a liar and saying things like, "The dream is over," (referring to her living situation with me).

After that day, my parents and I called DYFS and told them about the numerous incidences of physical abuse, and they treated it like new news, despite A_____'s attempts to tell them about it.  (Which, to me, doesn't sound like an attitude that should be representative of a company that's supposedly in the business of child welfare.)

So, my Mother and I went to meet with this lady, K____ C____ at DYFS headquarters in M_____ C_____ at 10:00 AM the next day, and we presented her with a long list of reasons why D_____ is not a fit guardian (which, of course is available to you upon request).  But later on that day, after I'd picked A_____ up from school, I got a call on my cell from my Dad.  He told me that D_____ had called him and said that DYFS told him he was allowed to go pick her up whenever he wanted.  My Dad said I had to bring her home so D_____ could bring her back to his house.

I just started panicking, and the only thing I could think to do was just drive around for a while to buy us some time.  I knew that I was facing possible arrest if I didn't comply with D_____' wishes, but I just could not hand her over to him, knowing what I know about the man.  That, and A_____ swore up and down that she would most definitely kill herself if she was forced to live with him again (either that, or she feared he'd kill her).  She said that she really didn't want to kill herself, that she wanted to live her life and accomplish her goals, but she just hates him that badly for all the things he's done to her (again, I don't blame her at all).  Incredibly scared and still panicking, we called abuse hotlines, friends, and eventually the W____ police to try and buy us some more time.

Shortly before I called the police, I had driven A_____ to my local hospital, because it was the only place I could fathom her having sanctuary.  An officer arrived and began taking his report, along with a Detective G_____ (of whom we're not fond at this point due to events that happened a little later in the story).  The hospital staff decided to send her to C______ M_______ H_______, where she's been residing for the past three and a half days.  That first night at C______, we were a bundle of nerves for a while, but the officer we were with (L______ P______) was especially nice and compassionate.  A_____ was feeling much better for a while, coloring in a book that the officer gave her, until D_____ showed up…

When I found out that he was right out in the hallway, my blood just ran cold.  I've since developed a fear of him too.  When I alerted A_____ to his presence, it was just like the color drained from her face.  She started shaking, saying, "What is he doing here?  How'd he find me?"  Fucking Detective G_____ just led him right on in to her room, telling her, "A_____, your Dad is here to take you home."

She screamed, "I'm not going fucking anywhere with him.  I will kill myself!"  After a short, but heated exchange of words, he went out of her room with the detective, but not before blatantly lying about his physical abuse towards her on the night he threw her out (which he also has denied to DYFS… they're considering her a runaway based on D_____' account of the situation, which is obviously total bullshit).  He also had been lying, saying that he'd been trying to contact her at our house, when the caller ID and our answering machine will prove that he hasn't except for that Tuesday night when we went back for socks/clothes.

So yeah, now she's in C______, safe for right now.  Tomorrow (Monday the 20^th), they're going to figure out what's next for her.  Hopefully, they won't try to make her go back with him.  If they do though, I'll just call the W____ police again and they'll stop them.  As of right now, I'm looking into hiring a lawyer and getting copies of each police report from the past instances of abuse toward A_____ so that I can present a request for emancipation to a court.  One of the main reasons I'm e-mailing you is because A_____ asked me to, and because I think you could help us a lot.